


The End of Retirement

by Sumi



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Crossover Pairings, F/M, Fluff and Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-10-26 18:30:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20746790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/pseuds/Sumi
Summary: The house was tucked away deep in the Fereldan woods. It was on the cusp of the Korcari Wilds border, which suited Reya just fine. She wanted to be left to her own devices.It was supposed to keep people away. Yet, one day there was a soft knocking at the door. She scowled, wondering if the person would go away if she ignored them.





	The End of Retirement

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyNorbert](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyNorbert/gifts).

The house was tucked away deep in the Fereldan woods. It was on the cusp of the Korcari Wilds border, which suited Reya just fine. She wanted to be left to her own devices.

It was supposed to keep people away. Yet, one day there was a soft knocking at the door. She scowled, wondering if the person would go away if she ignored them. 

Reya doubted they would. They went through all this trouble to seek her out so clearly they wanted to speak with Reya.

"It is futile, Dragonborn. I seek an audience with you and will not leave until then," a female voice spoke outside the door. "Tis your choice in how we proceed, but let me give you a piece of advice; best not to keep a witch waiting."

She opened the door, her remaining eye narrowed. The other was lost after a particularly gruesome fight with a vampire. It was no loss because as long as she had one then Reya could continue to fight.

"And who may I ask is interrupting my solitude."

The witch smirked. "My name is Morrigan."

Reya instantly knew who she was talking to. She arrived in Thedas after the fifth blight, but heard of all those who aided the Hero of Ferelden to put an end to it. One of them was the witch Morrigan. 

It still didn't explain why she turned up on Reya's doorstep. The only thing she knew was that the peace and quiet she had over the years was finally over.

Reya gathered her thick, blonde strands and quickly plated them. It was a hassle to take care of and easier to just keep it out of her face. Best to do it now if this witch intended to drag her into some adventure. If it did happen to get in the way, Reya could always hack it off. 

She did that once after undertaking a perilous quest. Her hair and, more importantly, left eye were examples of this.

"I've heard of you so I won't bore you with questions of how you knew I am Dragonborn. However, I plan to pester you with endless questions as to what exactly you want from me."

Morrigan's answers were straight to the point. She touched on the subject of the Magister attacking Thedas which Reya knew all too well. The most intriguing part of Morrigan's explanation was the part about Mythal. 

It was her who gifted Morrigan with the knowledge of who she was and where exactly to find Reya. Still, Morrigan's explanation left out one very important detail.

Reya sighed. "You have yet to tell me what it is you need from me."

"Is it not obvious, Dragonborn? I am in need of you to call upon a dragon to help defeat the Magister's red lyrium dragon. Tis something that comes easy to you, is it not?" Morrigan asked, yellow eyes staring directly into her own.

"Let me at least pack a bag first," Reya muttered, unable to say no to such a proposal when the fate of another realm was at stake. “Seems to be just my luck I choose another realm in peril.”

This was never how Reya imagined spending her hero's retirement.

Settling down in a semi-inhabitable place suited all of Reya's needs. It kept people away and gave her the solitude Reya craved since saving all of Skyrim.

Reya missed her home, but she saw no option other than leaving. Skyrim looked at Reya Jargikdottir and didn't see a person. They saw a Dragonborn. She was more than the power she wielded. Unfortunately, Reya had trouble getting others to understand that.

There were a few followers Reya grew fond of during her travels. She said goodbye to each and every one, wishing them all a happy life. It would be the last time Reya saw any of them so best to make the goodbyes count.

Fleeing the realm and entering a completely foreign one seemed like a fantasy until she stumbled across some books in the mage college. It explained that other worlds did indeed exist. Traveling to them was extremely difficult, but if enough magic was at work, it was possible. 

Reya prepared the spell for weeks, eventually enlisting the help of the mages who owed her their lives. Not that Reya held that above their head. They seemed more than happy to help Reya in her crazy endeavors.

Over five years of peace had been shattered by the arrival of this Morrigan. Perhaps it was selfish, but Reya needed to leave Skyrim in order to retain what little sanity she had left. She wasn't so selfish to refuse her assistance to people in need, however.

The journey to Skyhold was tiring, but not one she wasn’t accustomed to making. It had just been awhile since Reya last partook in such a thing. By the time they arrived to Skyhold, Reya was thrilled it was finally over. 

She was ushered straight to Ambassador Montilyet. Reya would rather go to the tavern and get herself settled, but the Inquisition was under a deadline. They couldn’t exactly ask this Corypheus to postpone his attack on Thedas. 

When Reya explained who and what she was, there was an air of disbelief in the room. The Inquisitor looked like she more or less believed her, but her advisers seemed to have doubts. It was the woman named Leliana who spoke first. Her eyes bore into Reya’s. She seemed to be picking her apart with nothing more than a steady gaze.

The Inquisitor was currently away from Skyhold, but would be back within two or three days. Reya did not look forward to explaining this all again. She was getting ahead of herself, however. First Reya had to convince these advisers she was telling the truth.

“We have never heard of a Dragonborn before. Let alone what they actually do,” Leliana stated, arms crossed over her chest and head tilted to the side.

“Did the witch not explain or simply retell the legend?” Reya asked.

The Ambassador cleared her throat. “We were told the myth of the Dragonborn, but it still left us with many questions.”

Reya needed to think quick. She didn’t want them finding out she was from another realm. This would bring more problems and questions she’d rather not answer. Best to give them the condensed version with some tweaking here and there to protect her past.

“It’s a very old myth that tells of an individual with the blood and soul of a dragon, but the body of a mortal. We Dragonborn are able to absorb a dragon’s soul and speak these creatures languages called shouts in the common tongue. Simply put, I will use this ability to control one and help it fight against this magister’s dragon,” Reya explained carefully. “Does this answer your questions or would you like a demonstration?”

She hoped it was enough of the truth to satisfy their curiosity. From their faces, it was difficult to tell.

Leliana nodded. “I believe it does, my lady, but we could always do with a demonstration.”

Naturally, a demonstration would be expected. Reya didn’t know why she was surprised. She took a breath, slowly visualizing the words Wuld Nah Kest in her head. 

In an instant, Reya was on the other side of the room. She turned towards the shocked looking members of the Inquisitor’s council and sighed.

“Well, now that we have settled that, could I get someone to show me to where I’m staying?”

After she arrived, Reya took the time to settle in. It was close to nightfall before Reya left her small room in the tavern. The room was quite bare, but she was fine with the accommodations so long as there was bed and four walls surrounding it. Reya had spent enough time camping in her life. She was in no hurry to experience it again anytime soon.

Outside there were only a scattering of people outside. Reya made her way towards the back of the tavern where the training dummies were located. Though it had been years since Reya was in a proper fight, she kept up with sword practice. No point in getting rusty during her hero retirement years.

She glanced around until spotting a practice sword that suited her. Reya was thirty minutes into her practice when she heard footsteps approaching. It was only after they came to an abrupt stop that Reya finally decided to look up.

Due to the darkness, Reya wasn't able to make out who the person was right away. After a minute, she recognized the person to be Commander Cullen, dressed in casual clothes. They met briefly in the war room and exchanged a few words. Nothing more than a few pleasantries so Reya had little grasp on what type of person the man was.

All Reya knew for sure was that he looked much less ridiculous when he wasn’t wearing that cloak. It was a look and not a very flattering one at that.

“Dragonborn, my apologies,” Cullen stuttered out. “I was not aware that anyone would be out here practicing so late… let alone you.”

Reya lifted a brow, a teasing smirk playing on her lips. “Are you saying I don’t strike you as the type to wield a sword Commander?”

The Commander’s eyes widened an almost comical amount. “Maker, no! I simply assumed you’d be tired from your long journey to Skyhold.”

"All right, Commander. That's a reasonable answer so I'll let it slide for now," Reya said, flashing Cullen a teasing smile.

From Reya's experience most soldiers seemed uptight and Cullen proved to be no exception. However, to Reya's surprise Cullen started to chuckle at her response.

"Thank you, Dragonborn. I'll keep that in mind for the future."

Reya sighed deeply. There was that damned title again. She ran all the way to Thedas to escape it, but no one could escape their destiny it seemed. Destiny would follow you from one realm to the other.

The expression on Cullen's face turned to one of confusion and concern. "I don't mean to intrude, but is everything alright?"

Reya took a couple swings at the practice dummy before answering. “I am fine, Commander. I’d just prefer if you refer to me by my name rather than title.”

“My apologies Lady... Reya,” Cullen stuttered out the last part, greatly amusing Reya. “Again, apologies, but I am unsure how to pronounce your family name.”

She smiled. “I have never been a lady, Commander, but if it makes you feel better you can call me Lady Reya. Jargikdottir doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.”

“I mean no offense, but it does not.”

Perhaps back home it did, but Reya certainly was not in Skyrim anymore and hadn’t been for a long time.

~*~

For the next few days, Reya continued to train near the practice dummies late at night. It appeared that the Commander also preferred this specific time to train. She saw him out in the field and they would acknowledge one another. Other times Cullen used the training dummies on the far side to her.

They would have a splattering of conversations during these sessions. Dare Reya say it, but she actually got the stuffy commander to open up a few times and let out a laugh. While the stakes were dire, Reya considered it a small victory for the sake of the Inquisition.

The meeting with the Inquisitor went as well as could be expected. She saw the weight of the world resting on Lady Cadash’s shoulders and it was a strong remainder of how Reya felt back when traveling all over Skyrim. It was a difficult position to be in.

After that, it was nothing but a waiting game to gather their forces and prepare for the final assault against Corypheus. Reya continued her routine schedule she created since coming to Skyhold. Sometimes, routine was a comforting thing in trying times such as these.

One night while they were practicing, Reya glanced at Cullen and posed a question that had been on her mind for awhile. If he refused, there would be no hard feelings. Reya just had to ask.

“Commander, what do you say to putting aside these training dummies and getting in some old fashioned sparring?” Training dummies were all well and good, but there was something beneficial about practicing against another person.

Cullen paused, an expression of surprise taking over. “I agree there is something more beneficial when training with another person… Reya.”

She had insisted on Cullen dropping the Lady even if she said it was fine at first. While Cullen seemed reluctant to do so, he had dropped the title. 

“That’s not an answer, Commander,” Reya pointed out.

Cullen began to get into position “I mean to say yes. There is no telling when will be launching the attack on Corypheus and his forces and it would be unfortunate if neither of us were prepared.”

“Are you implying I am not prepared?” she asked, a teasing smirk playing on her lips.

He flushed. “I didn't mean to imply that, Reya. It is simply my understanding you lived in seclusion until very recently and that does not give one a chance to train as well as one can while sparring against another.”

“Commander it’s alright. I’m teasing you,” Reya assured him as she got into position. “Fear not, I will only use my softening swordsmanship skills against you and not my shouts.”

“Maker, you’re never going to let me live that down are you?”

Reya grinned. “Time will tell, Commander. For now, prepare yourself and please be gentle on my aging bones.”

In response to her comment, Cullen sighed and resumed his stance from before. Reya nodded to him, indicating she was ready to start.

While Reya had been jesting with Cullen, it had been some time since she properly sparring with someone, but she managed to keep her own against the Commander. Past sparring sessions were all very routine and until the very end, this one seemed to follow the same pattern.

The part where it different was when somehow Reya ended up with her back against the wall of the tavern. She and Cullen were clinging against each other, kissing deeply. This was entirely unprecedented.

It was true Reya found Cullen to be an attractive man. She partook on some light flirting and enjoyed his flustered responses, but never did Reya intend for it to go this far. Certainly this threw a spear into her plans for simply slinking back into the shadows and her small home once Corypheus was finally defeated.

When they finally parted for air, Reya thought it might give her some clarity. However, the only thing running through her mind was going somewhere more private so they could continue this. The look on Cullen’s face seemed to be a mixture of apprehension and thinking the same thing Reya was.

Best she speak quick. If Reya didn’t calm Cullen’s nerves, he might bolt and leave them both in a state of arousal. The last time she had been with someone at least three years ago. She didn’t want to wait another three years for an opportunity to present itself.

“What do say to continuing this? I’d suggest my own quarters, but they are rather small,” Reya admitted. “I imagine the Commander of the Inquisition quarters are very spacious.”

Cullen pulled away enough to give Reya a chance to wriggle out from between the wall and his very hard, sculpted body. “My quarters aren’t far… provided you don’t mind a hole in the ceiling.”

“Sex under the stars? Commander, you sure know how to woo a girl.”

He sighed. “Dear maker you will be the end of me, won’t you?”

Reya turned to Cullen. “I am certainly trying, Cullen.”

Best to drop the titles when they were about to get to know each other quite intimately.

One time quickly turned into multiple times. Even after Corypheus was defeated, it continued to the surprise of Reya. She assumed she’d go right back to her home in the Korcari Wilds and the life of solitude painfully crafted over the years.

It turned out Reya couldn’t walk away again. The first time she did, it broke her and it took years to get over. At least by staying at Skyhold she could help council Inquisitor Cadash should she ever need to speak about the struggles of being a leader.

A few people knew the truth of Reya’s origin. Mostly the war council, Inquisitor, and a few of the Inquisitor's close companions. They accepted it well enough. Reya worried how Cullen would react but he seemed to understand why she wasn’t so upfront about it.

The defeat of Corypheus led to a calm period. Reya found herself spending some time with the other members of the Inquisition and they weren’t half bad. Some of them grated on her nerves, but they always proved to get a laugh out of Reya.

During one afternoon, Reya learned of an amusing story that featured a very naked Cullen running back to his quarters. She casually mentioned it while visiting his office in the evening. Reya wasn’t surprised when Cullen turned slightly red, ducking his head in an attempt to hide from her gaze.

“Cullen, you don’t have to be embarrassed. I just wish I’d been around to witness the show,” Reya teased.

He groaned. “I don’t need to embarrass myself in front of you more than I already have. It’s a relief you weren’t there.”

Reya stood up and slowly approached Cullen. She drew him into a kiss, breaking away to give him a soft smile. “Cullen you never have to worry about embarrassing yourself in front of me. I love everything about you.”

“Love?” Cullen choked out. “Maker tell me I didn’t just imagine that.”

She shook her head. “No, you didn’t. I love you and I don’t think it’s presumptuous of me to say you feel the same, is it?”

“No, it is not,” Cullen said with a gentle laugh.

It appeared staying had been a good decision on Reya's part after all.


End file.
